The Magpies had to do a mad dash of selling one or two young players to balance the books.
While midfielder Sean Longstaff understands why the process occurred, he admits it was nerve wracking for players.
Per Chronicle Live, Longstaff said: "We’re not stupid, we'd seen all the stuff with financial fair play and who was on the table and who wasn't on the table and stuff.
“I think at that point, the way it seemed, I think everyone sort of had their price and yeah, unfortunately for Elliot, the day after it was done, I think we were all in running together and he came in and you just sort of gave him a big hug.
"But hopefully he's going to use it as a positive and yeah, maybe he's not going to be seen as the young lad at Newcastle anymore and he'll get a bit more respect for how good he is and hopefully for him he can kick on and have a really good season, just not against us."